Alexandra Eala brought greater control to a meeting of former US Open junior champions at the Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis, defeating British wild card Mika Stojsavljevic 6-1, 6-2 in 75 minutes to reach the second round in Tokyo.
The eighth seed, a 21-year-old Filipina who won the 2022 US Open girls’ championship, absorbed the power of 17-year-old Stojsavljevic and dictated the first-round contest with a disciplined display. Stojsavljevic captured the same junior title at Flushing Meadows in 2024, but could not convert her heavy groundstrokes into sustained pressure.
Stojsavljevic produced 24 winners, three times Eala’s total of eight, yet her aggressive approach also brought 41 unforced errors. Eala was particularly secure on serve, putting 68% of first serves in play and taking 72% of those points.
The Filipina faced break points in only one game, when she fell behind 0-40 in the second game of the second set. She escaped with two service winners followed by a decisive serve-and-next-ball combination, then continued her march to the finish.
Eala sets Gibson meeting
Eala’s next opponent will be Talia Gibson, the recent Singapore finalist, after the Australian beat qualifier Daria Kasatkina 6-0, 7-5 in an all-Australian first-round match.
Gibson raced through the opening eight games before former world No. 8 Kasatkina made the second set far tighter. The Australian ultimately held her ground to complete the straight-sets victory and book a clash with Eala.
For Stojsavljevic, ranked No. 411, the defeat extends a difficult run in WTA main draws. Her first appearance at this level came in Tokyo two years ago, when she pushed Moyuka Uchijima to a 6-4, 6-7(7), 7-6(6) first-round loss. In four further tour-level main-draw appearances, she has not won a set.
Withdrawals reshape the Tokyo draw
The draw has also changed following injury withdrawals from second seed Maja Chwalinska and fourth seed Belinda Bencic.
Chwalinska, who collected her first WTA singles trophy in Wuhan two weeks ago, withdrew because of a left thigh injury. Australia’s Kimberly Birrell enters the main draw as a lucky loser and receives a first-round bye in Chwalinska’s place.
Birrell will play American qualifier Alycia Parks in the second round. Parks advanced by beating Wang Xinyu 6-1, 7-6(7), saving three set points during the second-set tiebreak.
Defending champion Bencic pulled out with a right ankle injury. Her withdrawal came after Monday’s final singles match had begun, meaning the highest-ranked lucky loser registering on Tuesday will take her place in the draw.
